Goodbye June

Two more days of June. It doesn't seem possible. The months seem to fly past when you are old. I know the days aren't really going faster but the closer I get to the end of my life, the faster the days seem to go by. June is the traditional month for weddings but I think society has gotten away from that. Now any month you choose is perfect.

June feels more like a spring month, yet this year it has been warmer than usual. I hear the sweet corn is almost ready. That makes my mouth water. The field corn will be knee high and flowers are blooming prolifically. We are headed into another summer needing rain. Goodbye June.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior," (Isaiah 43:2-3a NIV).

June is nearly past and life moves on. May you be encouraged by the knowledge of God's protection through whatever lies ahead. God bless you.

One Step

I always begin writing my blog by praying for God to give me an idea to write about. Because sometimes  my mind seems totally empty. I ask God to tell me what someone needs to hear today. The best thing for me to do is to start typing and hope something comes to mind. More often than not when I've written something I don't think is very inspiring, someone will comment that the blog was just what they needed to hear today.

God is good like that.

"You will forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor," (Job 11:16-19 NIV). 

Job got this advice from Zophar the Naamathite. Although not all the suggestions Job received from wise persons of his day were helpful, this scripture shares hope for all of us. No matter what struggles we face in life, hope encourages us to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually we will step out of the darkness and into God's light.

God is good like that.

May God give you light to guide you through every situation you face today. Amen.

Celebrating 50 Years

Last weekend the Class of '73 at West Marshall High School in State Center, Iowa, celebrated its 50th. How can that possibly be? Time slipped by so quickly. Here we are no longer able to fit into our class rings or band uniforms. Some of my classmates looked just like they did in high school. Others have changed considerably. There were about forty classmates who attended out of

seventy-some graduates.

There were conversations throughout the room, lots of reminiscing and catching up. There was bountiful laughter and remembering. But we also honored the 13 classmates who have passed away. 

"Remember how fleeting is my life," (Psalm 89:47 NIV).

Many of us have said goodbye to our parents and lived through the challenge of raising children. Others have faced illness and cancer as part of their past. We pray for one of our classmates who is in the fight of her life now with cancer.

It is hard to believe 50 years have passed by. We don't feel that old (most of the time anyway). Getting together was a good time. Seeing friends again provided priceless moments of sharing memories.

Thank you, God for a lifetime of memories.

Our Fathers

Fathers' Day is past for this year but it is still on my mind. John and I have lost both of our parents so in our family the attention goes to my husband John and to our two sons. None of us were together this year so it became a non-holiday. But still we remembered our fathers with love. 

My father, Corwin Springer, was a farmer first and a job worker second. He lived on farms his whole life. He also worked for the ASCS office helping farmers establish soil conservation practices. He worked for the Iowa highway commission as a surveyor on new roads being built. He was a singer and sang for many weddings, funerals, and church events, far too many to count. Most important, he was a Christian in all that he did. 

John's father, Frederick Stewart, was a hard worker. He worked at the Clemons Quarry for several years running heavy equipment. He eventually got hired by Fisher Controls where he made a career and a living for his family. He used evenings and weekends to make improvements to his houses, lawns and garages. He was always willing to help out his children with their projects, too. He was a good man and a caring father.

"The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one," (John 10:25-30 NIV).

Just Ask

Sometimes I find it hard to pray. Especially when I try to pray for a need I have personally. Throughout the Bible, we are shown that we need to humble ourselves and ask God for what we need. And He will answer us.

 "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth," (Psalm 145:18 NIV).

My heart is calmed in knowing He is near to me when I call on Him. There is peace when we kneel to the Lord in need.

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I," (Isaiah 58:9 NIV).

I visualize lifting my arms in prayer as He says, "Here am I". What a blessed moment of peace and comfort.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened," (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV).

When I was growing up there was a picture hanging on the wall of the sanctuary that I often studied. The painting was of Jesus standing at a door, knocking. "Christ at Heart's Door" by Warner Sallman is an image I'll retain whenever I read this verse. Though it shows the opposite, it reminds me to open my heart and let Jesus in.

"This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it--the Lord is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know,'" (Jeremiah 33:2-3 NIV).

God tells us to call on Him and He will respond and tell us, "great and unsearchable things"! How exciting and encouraging to pray. If we pray sincerely, we can be assured that God will hear us and answer our prayer. 

Thank you, God, for being our loving Father, who is there for us whenever we call. Amen.

Friendship

 Friends. Heartwarming. Kind. Shared memories. Smiles and hugs.

I have friends on my mind this week. Old friends and new friends. My 50th year high school class reunion is this weekend and I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with some friends I haven't seen in many years. I'm hoping to recognize everyone; thank goodness for name tags. How do you catch up on 50 years of life with 60-some classmates?

When we moved to Ankeny to be close to our grandchildren (who then moved to the east coast) we didn't know a soul in town. We met our neighbors over time, as additional houses were built along the cul-de-sac. For the first year we kept ties with our home church, an hour away. It became rather tiresome spending two hours on the road each Sunday, so we eventually looked for a church in the Ankeny area. We made friends there through small groups and Bible studies. We joined a local gym that has a walking track and a pool and offered water aerobics. I made good friends there. I joined WW and made more friends there. Wow, I realize now how blessed I am with new friends.

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends," (John 15:12-13 NIV).

I'm kind of excited about this weekend reunion time and a little nervous, too. I was pretty shy back in my high school days but I had a nice group of friends that I hung out with. Many of my friends were fellow band members. We took two band trips together and made many memories on the bus rides to Rapid City, S.D. (freshman year) and to Winnepeg, Canada (senior year).

Friends are so valuable in my life. I'm thankful for everyone, whether it has been 50 years or one. God has been so good in leading wonderful people into my life. I thank God for each one of you, friends.

Sharing Our Burdens

Today was my parents' anniversary. They were married 66 years when my mother died. I wonder if they are able to celebrate in heaven; it would be 90 years. I hope they are together again.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light," (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV). 

Sometimes I feel burdened by life and very weary. This scripture says that Jesus will help us by giving us purpose for our work. We can't just sit back and watch the world go by. We are to learn from Jesus and follow His ways, then we will find rest.

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint," (Isaiah 40:31 NIV).

When the day seems too long and we have come to the end of our ropes, remember that the Lord promises to renew our strength.

Thank you, Lord, for being our strength when we are weary. Thank you for sharing our burdens if only we will trust in you. Amen.

The Mystery of the Shoes

One day a pair of old beat-up, dirty men's shoes showed up in our closet, sitting there along with John's other shoes. I thought it was strange but went about doing other tasks and forgot about them. A day or two went by before we both were in the closet at the same time and the conversation of the shoes came up. We each thought the other had put them there, but neither of us had. The mystery of the shoes began.

We were living on our farm at the time, which was about a mile from the Marshall County Jail. Occasionally inmates would be released without a ride back to Marshalltown (10 miles away). They were told not to stop at any house along the way so most walked past on the road. We called the Sheriff's office and told them about the shoes. 

A deputy came and looked at the shoes. John noted that another pair of his shoes was missing. Nothing else in our house was disturbed or missing. We often left the house unlocked while we both were at work. The deputy filed a report but he didn't expect we would find the person who traded shoes. And we never did.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).

So the mystery of the shoes remains. Whoever came in, needed the shoes worse than John did. However, we did start locking our door.

June Beginnings

Welcome to June; it's the beginning of summer! School is out. Iris and peonies are blooming. Baby birds are testing their wings. The sun is bright and warm. Seeds have sprouted into plants, growing by leaps and bounds and so are the weeds. It is time to sit on the deck and enjoy the singing birds in the trees.

June is a month of weddings and celebrations, reunions and picnics. It is time to open up the pool and jump into the cold water and splash around. There will be swimming lessons and Vacation Bible Schools. Time for family vacations and ice cream cones. Fields change from rows to a mass of solid green.

"In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord," (Hosea 2:18-20 NIV). 

In the scripture above, Hosea shares God's plan to restore the relationship with the Israelites, similar to our marriage relationships. God asks the Israelites to turn from their worship of idols and sinning and come to Him.

God still calls us to a relationship with Jesus Christ. He forgives our sins when we come to Him. Rejoice in the beauty of the month of June and celebrate the life you can live with Him today.